Bring Me The Horizon have reached the top of the UK album charts this week with their album ‘POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR,’ which was released 30th of October 2020. While the album originally reached a modest 5th place back in October when it was introduced to streaming platforms, the release of the album in physical form gave the band the boost they needed to top the chart after a close race with fellow Brits and House Duo Bicep. The Official Charts report that ‘92% of the record’s chart sales this week were physical purchases,’ showing both the loyalty of their fans and the continuing relevance of physical mediums despite the rise of streaming.
Frontman Oli Sykes thanked fans for their support in an Instagram post and owners of their record label RCA, Sony Music UK showed equal enthusiasm and congratulated the band in the comments section. ‘POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR,’ is the second Bring Me The Horizon album to reach number 1, with 2019s ‘AMO,’ also reaching the top spot. Since they first entered the charts with an album release in 2006, Bring Me The Horizon have steadily been improving their chart release with every single album, climbing from number 13 up to number 1 in the space of the last decade.
The band’s success with this album, while certainly largely down to their long standing and loyal fan base, may also be to do with the band’s wise choice of collaborators for many of the tracks. Yungblud is featured on ‘Obey,’ and after his album ‘weird!’ shot to number 1 when it was released in December the world has been watching what he does with great enthusiasm. The album also features a collaboration with Japanese J-Pop and Metal fusion band ‘BABYMETAL,’ who have a large cult following and have appeared in the UK events like the Reading and Leeds festival.
Collaborations certainly seems to be the way forward in todays music industry, with artists as big as Dua Lipa frequently working with a variety of musicians, producers and songwriters to sharpen her sound and broaden her appeal. This is definitely an idea that Bring Me The Horizon have picked up on and they have chosen very well who to work with on this album. Yungblud helps the band appeal to a younger audience and to the slightly less aggressive Indie Rock scene whose fans may be initially put off by the more aggressive Metal sound, but be tempted to try it out by the appearance of their beloved Yungblud.
With the UK’s coronavirus crisis continuing to unravel with and end still not in sight, live music in Britain is still unfortunately out of the question. However some music fans are still hopeful that 2021 will see a return of bands to stages, with big acts like Dua Lipa and Indie Rockers Declan McKenna and Yungblud all promising tours this year. Bring Me The Horizon have hinted at some in-store performances in Kingston but have not set a firm date yet.
